The primary objective of the Community-Based Participatory Research project is to address specific social determinants of health identified by the Lower Ninth Ward community in New Orleans, such as access to health care, disease prevention, diet/nutrition, physical activity, and environmental factors that influence health status. The project builds on the Strategic Plan for Community Wellness previously developed by this community through a one-year process. The academic-community partnership will include representation from three groups: a) community partners from four grass roots organizations that participated in the community strategic planning process (one of whom has been identified as the Community Liaison); b) five scientific partners who are funded researchers from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center with expertise in behavioral and molecular/genetic determinants of health disparities; and c) Daughters of Charity Health Center, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) serving patients at multiple locations in New Orleans, one of which (its St Cecilia site) is located in the Ninth Ward. The Partnership encompasses expertise in the areas of community engagement, health promotion and disease prevention, neighborhood health assessment, access to primary care, and program evaluation. 1: To establish and sustain an academic-community partnership with representatives from LSU Health Sciences Center, partnering community-based organizations and Daughters of Charity Health Center - St Cecilia. Specific Aim 2: To conduct a community-driven needs assessment to inform the choice of needs to be addressed and design three community-based interventions during years two and three. Specific Aim 3. To design three CBPF? interventions informed by the community-driven needs assessment and guided by the principles outlined by the Community-Centered Medical Home approach and the Healthy People 2020 framework for researching determinants of health. Specific Aim 4. To conduct three pilot studies in three areas determined by the Partnership which may include, for example: women's health and cancer prevention, fitness and disease prevention, and community involvement to improve health and well-being through the medical home. RELEVANCE: This project is relevant because it addresses an important problem, i.e., health disparities in a community that is highly underserved and suffers from high levels of poverty and poor health. The project would contribute to ameliorating health disparities in Louisiana, a state with one of the highest indexes of chronic diseases and poverty in the nation.